Sello by Shopify

The Challenge

Selling online has primarily been done through a desktop or laptop experience using platforms like eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Craigslist, or one’s own website. But traditional e-commerce is still out of reach for many sellers. Enter Sello by Shopify, a free mobile app for creators, curators and aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides a canvas for sellers to leverage their social media following and sell anything to anyone, anywhere. With Sello, all you need is a smartphone and an online following; selling online is as easy as snapping a photo.

We helped Sello express this novel approach to selling through a new brand and thoughtful online experience.​

Our Approach

Our first step was to define the Sello brand, which we approached with minimal visuals. This is because of two key factors. First and foremost, Sello exists to support the sellers who use this platform to exhibit their products. As such, the brand should not visually compete with their style or visuals. Secondly, their products are promoted across social networking platforms, which could be complicated if Sello had a loud brand experience.

The hurdle with a minimalistic brand is that it can be void of personality or ownability. We countered this obstacle through an ownable logotype, vibrant color palette, and approachable iconography. The concept centers around the underlined ‘o’, where the ‘o’ is replaced with visual representations of what merchants sell.

Interactive

Sello was already hard at work on their mobile app when the time came to design their homepage. By exploring the app, it became clear that much attention was given to deliver a minimalist approach. It allowed sellers to do what they need to do without any distractions. We approached the homepage in the same way.

Animation and video were paramount to quickly explain how it all worked. Keeping in line with the brand and mobile app, the rest of the homepage relied on simplicity to tell the rest of Sello’s benefits: selling through social networks, being free to list and sell, and educational content to help you start selling.

Our goal was to communicate exactly what Sello was, even if a person came to the website and never scrolled down the page.

From the beginning, our development team was involved in helping bring the hero concept to life.

Front-End Development

We discussed everything from the overall concept down to the granular details, making sure that what we proposed was also feasible in development. Because Sello is a mobile app, we focused on a high-quality mobile experience first. Tight communication throughout the entire project ensured a delightful final product, no matter which device you viewed it on.